The Viroqua Public Record: June 2, 2026
3 big meetings today, city searches for new administrator + new squad cars AND explores ideas for old city hall site!
Your plain-English guide to what happened at City Hall this week
The Big Takeaway
The city is searching for a new administrator — and it's moving fast. City Administrator Nate Torres is departing, and the Council hired the recruitment firm PAA for $15,750 to find his replacement. They also fast-tracked the job posting process, letting the Mayor, Torres, and the Finance Chair finalize the posting without waiting for another full Council vote. Meanwhile, the city is pushing to complete a two-year Capital Improvement Plan before Torres leaves, essentially trying to lock in a financial roadmap so the next administrator doesn't start from scratch. If you care about how the city spends money over the next few years, this compressed timeline is worth watching.[1]
Money Watch
New squad cars: $94,800 total. Two police vehicles were totaled in the Westby hail storm. Insurance covered $38,321, and the rest was covered by existing borrowed funds. The Council approved a Ford Interceptor (for the K-9 unit) at $45,000 from Kayser in Madison and a GMC 1500 SLE at $49,800 from Sleepy Hollow.[1]
Old city hall site design: $8,648. The firm Parkitecture was hired to create a design plan for the former city hall property downtown. The city is also applying for a $50,000 Vibrant Spaces Grant from the state — having a professional plan in hand strengthens that application. Alderperson Bartelt cast the lone "no" vote.[1]
Welcome Center pay request: $122,460.70 approved for the ongoing Viroqua Welcome Center construction, with three change orders coming soon for windows, cement grading, and conduit.[1]
Administrator recruitment cost: $15,750, split between utilities ($6,000) and investment earnings so it doesn't hit individual department budgets.[1]
Bills paid: $283,516.94 across two payment cycles.[1][2]
Employee benefits switch: The city is moving its Globe Life supplemental insurance policies to a new brokerage (Axios Group/Chubb Combined) after their old rep left the company. The switch actually improves benefits — free accidental life coverage jumps from $3,000 to $12,000 per employee, and wellness benefits that were quietly stripped away on March 1 will be restored retroactively. No added cost to the city.[2]
Meetings Today
All three meetings today are at City Hall's Lower-Level Community Room:
VDA Board Meeting
(development proposals for Hanson Farm) [3]
Coming Up
SMRT Bus contribution was tabled — no decision yet on the city's 2026 funding for the regional transit service. Watch for this to reappear on a future agenda.[1]
Capital Improvement Plan workshops will be rolling out soon as department heads review their wish lists and committees weigh in. This is the process that decides which roads, buildings, and equipment get funded over the next two years.[1]
Old city hall site ideas — Jan Palmer noted that the Three-Fold Driftless group will be discussing possibilities for the space, potentially generating more community input before Parkitecture finalizes a design.[1]
Welcome Center change orders for windows, cement, and conduit are expected at an upcoming meeting.[1]
The Quick Rundown
Transportation resolution 26RS003 passed unanimously — a routine resolution likely related to state transportation aid eligibility.[1]
First-quarter financial review — Administrator Torres walked the Finance Committee through a PowerPoint on where the city stands financially through Q1 2026. No red flags were raised publicly.[2]
NIMS training reminder — Council members were nudged about emergency management training scheduled for the following afternoon.[1]
One More Thing
Resident Daryl Skrupky showed up to pitch his vision for the old city hall site: a fly fisherman statue and a creative clock design featuring different local icons at each hour, surrounded by a fountain or garden. It's the kind of charmingly specific idea that only comes from someone who really loves their town. Whether a bronze angler ends up downtown remains to be seen, but Parkitecture now has at least one enthusiastic concept to consider.[1]
Sources
[1] Common Council Minutes – May 12, 2026 — View Document
[2] Finance/Personnel Committee Minutes – May 12, 2026 — View Document
The Viroqua Public Record is an independent community summary of public meetings. It is not affiliated with the City of Viroqua.